For Crying Out Loud, Slow Down!

OK, that's a provocative statement, but we've about had it, living on Peakview Road in Boulder Heights 1/4 mile from Lee Hill Road. Many of the residents and visitors driving through our neighborhood drive way too fast and for the 4th year in a row, a deer was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver right in front of our home. Count 'em, that's 4 deer in four years within 100 feet of our house.

The first deer was an 8 pt buck in late fall, who was so injured by the car that it decided to die in our backyard. It was suffering so badly for days that we called the Dept of Wildlife and they instructed us to put a bullet in its head and dump the carcass out in the National Forest. How many of you are willing to do that?

The very next spring, a spotted fawn was killed 10 feet from our mailbox and the coward just ran. Didn't stop and deal with it. I had to load it into my pickup and dump the carcass in the National Forest.

The very next spring, another spotted fawn was killed about 100 feet from our driveway, hit by another coward who didn't have the guts to deal with what they left behind for their neighbors to clean up.

This time, the carcass was eaten by wildcats and/or coyotes since it was pretty much eliminated within a day or two so I didn't have to haul it off to the National Forest this time.

Then tonight at 7:30 PM, we heard a gun shot near our home and discovered a Sheriff's Deputy at the top of our driveway who shot a fawn that was hit by a car and was lying in agony on the roadside just 15 feet from out mailbox.

We've lived here for 5 years now and the average speed of a car passing our house is significantly greater than 35 mph, sometimes much faster, yet the posted speed limit on this road is 20 mph. Why can so many of our neighbors be so insensitive to knowing how to live on the mountain that they can't be inconvenienced just 30 seconds of their day to drive a little more slowly and watch for wildlife?

I did not witness the cars speeding by and hitting these four beautiful animals, but I can only imagine the cowardice of drivers without the character to even stop and do something about it, or better yet, slow the heck down and save the lives of some beautiful creatures.

Over the years, we've put up our own Deer Crossing signs and Children at Play signs, and it hasn't affected the speed that drivers rip past our house, kicking up curtains of dust. It's not only rude but it's downright dangerous and it may not be that long before a human is killed by one of these despicable people.

Please get the word out to folks in Boulder Heights, who live down Peakview Road, to have a heart, and slow the heck down, for the sake of the wildlife and to be a good neighbor.